The stereotype of the older adult as a poor language learner can be traced to a theory of the brain and how it matures, and classroom practices that discriminate against the older learner. Children do not learn second languages as quickly and easily as we believe. Children do not necessarily have more "flexible" brains and adolescents and adults perform better than young children under controlled conditions. Pronunciation is the one area where the very young child excels over older learners. We should have realistic expectations of second language learners. All children learn a second language in the same way and that once they can converse in the second language it should not be assumed that this ability extends to academic reading and writing. The "critical period" hypothesis argued that the brain lost "cerebral plasticity" after puberty, making language acquisition more difficult as an adult than as a child. There is, however, no decline in the ability to learn as people get older;―except for minor considerations such as hearing and vision loss. The neural cells responsible for higher-order linguistic processes such as understanding semantic relations and grammatical sensitivity develop with age. In the areas of vocabulary and language structure, adults are actually better language learners. Older learners having more highly developed cognitive systems are able to make higher order associations and generalizations, and can integrate new language input with their already substantial learning experience. They also rely on long-term memory. The saying "the younger the better" does not apply in language learning any more. The difficulties older adults experience can be overcome through adjustments in the learning environment, attention to affective factors, and use of effective teaching methods etc.
목차
I. 서언 II. 어린이와 성인의 차이 1. 결정적시기(Critical period) 가설과 대뇌의 기능분장(Lateral ization) 2. 인지양식 3. 학습방법 III. 학습자가 범하기 쉬운 오류 1. 구문 2. 의미 IV. 수업환경 및 활동 V. 결언 Works Cited ABSTRACT
키워드
adult foreign language learning advantagecritical period hypothesispronunciationcognitive learning theory
한국중앙영어영문학회 [The Jungang English Language And Literature Association Of Korea]
설립연도
1968
분야
인문학>영어와문학
소개
본 학회는 영미어문학의 학술연구와 이에 부합하는 아래의 사업을 기획 수행하며,
또한 회원 상호간의 친목을 도모함을 목적으로 한다.
1. 학회지 발간
2. 연구 발표회, 강연회, 공동연구
3. 영미어문학 관련 도서출판
4. 영미어문학 관계 도서 및 자료의 모집 및 비치
5. 기타 본회의 목적 달성에 필요한 사업
간행물
간행물명
영어영문학연구 [The Jungang Journal of English Language and Literature]